Mobile terminal and method of controlling the same

ABSTRACT

A mobile terminal is allowed to automatically reproduce contents by a user-desired device based on its own position and orientation. A method for controlling contents reproduction in a mobile terminal includes acquiring at least one of position and orientation of the mobile terminal, selecting one of a plurality of external devices based on the acquired at least one of the position and the orientation, the plurality of external devices being capable of reproducing contents at different positions, respectively, and transmitting a signal to the selected one external device for controlling the selected one external device to reproduce the contents.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to KoreanApplication No. 10-2011-0115991 filed in Korea on Nov. 8, 2011, whoseentire disclosure(s) is/are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

This specification relates to a mobile terminal and a method ofcontrolling the same method.

2. Background

Mobile terminals and methods of controlling the same are known. However,they suffer from various disadvantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments will be described in detail with reference to thefollowing drawings in which like reference numerals refer to likeelements, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a is a block diagram of a mobile terminal in accordance withone exemplary embodiment;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of a mobile terminal;

FIGS. 3A to 3D are diagrams illustrating an environment in which aplurality of devices are disposed;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating another environment where aplurality of devices are disposed;

FIG. 5 is a view of a user interface provided in a mobile terminal inaccordance with one exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram that illustrates a process of a mobileterminal to acquire its own position information and orientationinformation;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram that illustrates a process of a mobileterminal to perform Wi-Fi fingerprint;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process of controlling content reproductionin a mobile terminal in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an environment in which a plurality of devicesare disposed;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are views of a user interface provided in a mobileterminal in accordance with one exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a view of a user interface for manually selecting a targetdevice in a mobile terminal in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a user interface for selecting atarget device among a plurality of devices in a mobile terminal inaccordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a view of a user interface for selecting a plurality ofdevices as target devices in a mobile terminal in accordance with oneembodiment;

FIG. 14 is a view of a user interface for selecting a desired targetdevice in a mobile terminal in accordance with one embodiment; and

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a process of controlling an external device inthe mobile terminal in accordance with one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Description will now be given in detail of a mobile terminal withreference to the accompanying drawings. This specification employslike/similar reference numerals for like/similar components irrespectiveof different embodiments, so they all will be understood by the firstdescription. Hereinafter, suffixes “module” and “device or portion” forcomponents used herein in description are merely provided only forfacilitation of preparing this specification, and thus they are notgranted a specific meaning or function. If a detailed explanation for arelated known function or construction is considered to unnecessarilydivert the gist of the present disclosure, such explanation has beenomitted but would be understood by those skilled in the art. Theaccompanying drawings are used to help easily understood the technicalidea of the present disclosure and it should be understood that the ideaof the present disclosure is not limited by the accompanying drawings.

Terminals may be divided into mobile/portable terminals and stationaryterminals according to their mobility. Also, the mobile terminals may becategorized into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminalaccording to whether it is directly portable by a user. The mobileterminal may be multifunctional and configured to, for example, capturestill images or moving images, play music or video files, play games,receive broadcast, or the like, so as to be implemented as an integratedmultimedia player. Functionality for the multimedia devices may beimplemented in hardware or software.

As broadly descried and embodied herein, the mobile terminal maycontinuously reproducing contents and provide improved methods ofselecting an external device, for example, the mobile terminal mayautomatically play (reproduce) the contents through a user-desireddevice based on its own position and orientation.

Moreover, a plurality of external devices may be controlled using asingle mobile terminal configured to select an external device byallowing the mobile terminal to remotely control a user-desired devicebased on its own position and orientation.

Mobile terminals described in this specification may include mobilephones, smart phones, laptop computers, digital broadcasting terminals,personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs),navigators, and the like. However, it can be easily understood by thoseskilled in the art that the configurations according to the embodimentsdisclosed in this specification can be applied to stationary terminals,such as digital TV, desktop computer and the like, where applicable.

Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is articles or interoperabilityguidelines which implement sharing digital contents among householdalliances connected via a home network. Home networking technologiesinclude a technology of constructing a physical network, such asEthernet, Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA), Radio Frequency(RF), Power Line Communication (PLC) and the like, a communicationprotocol technology among devices, sensors and actuators which constructa home network, a middleware technology for mutual discovery,configuration and management among devices on a constructed homenetwork, and a service technology based on such middleware.

Digital home is an evolution of an idea that personal computers,household electronics and mobile devices work together seamlessly via awired or wireless network to share digital contents within a homeenvironment. Digital living extends that idea to include sharing ofdigital contents through an immediate connection between digital deviceson the go as well, regardless of the manufacturer.

DLNA provides guidelines for interoperation in aspects of networking,device discovery and control, media management, media format, mediatransmission and the like. The DLNA has employed an Internet Protocol(IP) as a basic network protocol for networking and connectivity. TheDLNA recommends Universal Plug and Play Device Architecture (UPnP DA)based on Simple service Discovery Protocol (SSDP), General EventNotification Architecture (GENA), and Simple Object Access Protocol(SOAP) for interoperability of the device discovery and control, and toemploy the UPnP AV as an interoperable protocol for media contentsmanagement. The DLNA is also recommends audio, image, video formats inan independent manner for the media contents format, and HTTP as aninteroperable protocol for the media transmission.

Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation, description will be givenunder assumption that a mobile terminal in accordance with at least oneexemplary embodiment disclosed in this specification shares digitalcontents or transceives digital contents-related information with otherelectronics (for example, digital media renderer). Here, theconfiguration that the mobile terminal operates according to the DLNA ismerely illustrative, and thus it should be construed that the scope ofthe embodiments disclosed in this specification are not limited thereto.

That is, a mobile terminal as broadly described and embodied herein maytransmit or receive digital data to or from other electronics accordingto any type of home networking technologies, which allow transmissionand reception of digital data between electronics, or home networkprotocols. For example, a mobile terminal may transmit or receivedigital data to or from other electronics according to a home networkingtechnology based on a wireless local area network having a devicediscovery and management mechanism.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal in accordance with oneexemplary embodiment. The mobile terminal 100 may include components,such as a wireless communication unit 110, an Audio/Video (A/V) inputdevice 120, a user input device 130, a sensing device 140, an outputdevice 150, a memory 160, an interface device 170, a controller 180, apower supply 190, or the like. FIG. 1 shows the mobile terminal 100having various components, but it is understood that implementing all ofthe illustrated components is not a requirement. Greater or fewercomponents may alternatively be implemented.

The wireless communication device 110 may typically include one or moremodules, which permit wireless communications between the mobileterminal 100 and a wireless communication system or between the mobileterminal 100 and a network within which the mobile terminal 100 islocated. For example, the wireless communication device 110 may includea broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, awireless internet module 113, a short-range communication module 114, alocation information module 115 and the like.

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives a broadcast signal and/orbroadcast associated information from an external broadcast managingentity via a broadcast channel. Examples of broadcast associatedinformation may include information associated with a broadcast channel,a broadcast program, a broadcast service provider, and the like. Thebroadcast associated information may be provided via a mobilecommunication network, and received by the mobile communication module112. Broadcast signals and/or broadcast associated information receivedvia the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in a suitabledevice, such as a memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 may transmit/receive wirelesssignals to/from at least one of network entities (e.g., base station, anexternal mobile terminal, a server, etc.) on a mobile communicationnetwork. Here, the wireless signals may include an audio call signal, avideo (telephony) call signal, or various formats of data according totransmission/reception of text/multimedia messages.

The wireless internet module 113 supports wireless Internet access forthe mobile terminal. This module may be internally or externally coupledto the mobile terminal 100. Examples of such wireless Internet accessmay include Wireless LAN (WLAN) (Wi-Fi), Wireless Broadband (Wibro),Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), High SpeedDownlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and the like.

The short-range communication module 114 denotes a module forshort-range communications. Suitable technologies for implementing thismodule may include BLUETOOTH, Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID),Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra-WideBand (UWB), ZigBee, and thelike.

The location information module 115 denotes a module for detecting orcalculating a position of a mobile terminal. An example of the locationinformation module 115 may include a Global Position System (GPS)module.

Referring to FIG. 1, the A/V input device 120 may be configured toprovide audio or video signal input to the mobile terminal. The A/Vinput device 120 may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. Thecamera 121 may receive and process image frames of still pictures orvideo obtained by image sensors in a video call mode or a capturingmode. The processed image frames may be displayed on a display 151.

The image frames processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory160 or transmitted to an external device via the wireless communicationdevice 110. Two or more cameras 121 may be provided according to theconfiguration of the mobile terminal 100.

The microphone 122 may receive an external audio signal while the mobileterminal 100 is in a particular mode, such as a phone call mode, arecording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like. This audio signalis processed into digital data. The processed digital data is convertedfor output into a format transmittable to a mobile communication basestation via the mobile communication module 112 in case of the phonecall mode. The microphone 122 may include assorted noise removingalgorithms to remove noise generated in the course of receiving theexternal audio signal.

The user input device 130 may generate input data input by a user tocontrol the operation of the mobile terminal 100. The user input device130 may include a keypad, a dome switch, a touchpad (e.g., staticpressure/capacitance), a jog wheel, a jog switch and the like.

The sensing device 140 may provide status measurements of variousaspects of the mobile terminal 100. For instance, the sensing device 140may detect an open/close status of the mobile terminal 100, a change ina location of the mobile terminal 100, a presence or absence of usercontact with the mobile terminal 100, the location of the mobileterminal 100, acceleration/deceleration of the mobile terminal 100, andthe like, so as to generate a sensing signal for controlling theoperation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, regarding aslide-type mobile terminal, the sensing device 140 may sense whether asliding portion of the mobile terminal is open or closed. Other examplesinclude sensing functions, such as the sensing device 140 sensing thepresence or absence of power provided by the power supply 190, thepresence or absence of a coupling or other connection between theinterface device 170 and an external device. Meanwhile, the sensingdevice 140 may include a proximity sensor 141.

The output device 150 may serve to output an audio signal (or anauditory signal), a video signal (or visual signal), an alarm signal ora tactile signal. The output device 150 may include a display (or adisplay device) 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm (or an alarmdevice) 153, a haptic module 154, and the like.

The display 151 may output information processed in the mobile terminal100. For example, when the mobile terminal is operating in a phone callmode, the display 151 may provide a User Interface (UI) or a GraphicUser Interface (GUI) which includes information associated with thecall. As another example, if the mobile terminal is in a video call modeor a capturing mode, the display 151 may additionally or alternativelydisplay images captured and/or received, UI, or GUI.

The display 151 may be implemented using, for example, at least one of aLiquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Thin Film Transistor-Liquid CrystalDisplay (TFT-LCD), an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED), a flexibledisplay, a three-dimensional (3D) display, an e-ink display, or thelike.

Some of the displays can be configured to be transparent such that it ispossible to see the exterior therethrough. These displays may be calledtransparent displays. A representative example of the transparentdisplay may include a Transparent Organic Light Emitting Diode (TOLED),or the like. The rear surface of the display device 251 may also beimplemented to be optically transparent. Under this configuration, auser can view an object positioned at a rear side of a terminal bodythrough a region occupied by the display device 251 of the terminalbody.

The display device 251 may be implemented in two or more in numberaccording to a configured aspect of the mobile terminal 100. Forinstance, a plurality of the displays 151 may be arranged on one surfaceto be spaced apart from or integrated with each other, or may bearranged on different surfaces.

Here, if the display 151 and a touch sensitive sensor (referred to as atouch sensor) have a layered structure therebetween, the structure maybe referred to as a touch screen. The display 151 may be used as aninput device rather than an output device. The touch sensor may beimplemented as a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, and the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert changes of a pressureapplied to a specific part of the display 151, or a capacitanceoccurring from a specific part of the display 151, into electric inputsignals. Also, the touch sensor may be configured to sense not only atouched position and a touched area, but also a touch pressure.

When touch inputs are sensed by the touch sensors, corresponding signalsare transmitted to a touch controller. The touch controller processesthe received signals, and then transmits corresponding data to thecontroller 180. Accordingly, the controller 180 may sense which regionof the display 151 has been touched.

Still referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 141 may be arranged at aninner region of the mobile terminal 100 covered by the touch screen, ornear the touch screen. The proximity sensor 141 indicates a sensor tosense presence or absence of an object approaching to a surface to besensed, or an object disposed near a surface to be sensed, by using anelectromagnetic field or infrared rays without a mechanical contact. Theproximity sensor 141 has a longer lifespan and a more enhanced utilitythan a contact sensor.

The proximity sensor 141 may include a transmissive type photoelectricsensor, a direct reflective type photoelectric sensor, a mirrorreflective type photoelectric sensor, a high-frequency oscillationproximity sensor, a capacitance type proximity sensor, a magnetic typeproximity sensor, an infrared rays proximity sensor, and so on. When thetouch screen is implemented as a capacitance type, proximity of apointer to the touch screen is sensed by changes of an electromagneticfield. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be categorizedinto a proximity sensor.

The audio output module 152 may output audio data received from thewireless communication device 110 or stored in the memory 160 in acall-receiving mode, a call-placing mode, a recording mode, a voicerecognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, and the like. The audiooutput module 152 may output audio signals relating to functionsperformed in the mobile terminal 100, e.g., sound alarming a callreceived or a message received, and so on. The audio output module 152may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and so on.

The alarm 153 outputs signals notifying occurrence of events from themobile terminal 100. The events occurring from the mobile terminal 100may include a call received, a message received, a key signal input, atouch input, and the like. The alarm 153 may output not only video oraudio signals, but also other types of signals such as signals notifyingoccurrence of events in a vibration manner. Since the video or audiosignals can be output through the display 151 or the audio output device152, the display 151 and the audio output module 152 may be categorizedinto a part of the alarm 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects which a user canfeel. A representative example of the tactile effects generated by thehaptic module 154 includes vibration. Vibration generated by the hapticmodule 154 may have a controllable intensity, a controllable pattern,and so on. For instance, different vibration may be output in asynthesized manner or in a sequential manner.

The haptic module 154 may generate various tactile effects, includingnot only vibration, but also arrangement of pins vertically moving withrespect to a skin being touched (contacted), air injection force or airsuction force through an injection hole or a suction hole, touch by askin surface, presence or absence of contact with an electrode, effectsby stimulus such as an electrostatic force, reproduction of cold or hotfeeling using a heat absorbing device or a heat emitting device, and thelike.

The haptic module 154 may be configured to transmit tactile effects(signals) through a user's direct contact, or a user's muscular senseusing a finger or a hand. The haptic module 154 may be implemented intwo or more in number according to the configuration of the mobileterminal 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for the processing and control of thecontroller 180. Alternatively, the memory 160 may temporarily storeinput/output data (e.g., phonebook data, messages, still images, videoand the like). Also, the memory 160 may store data related to variouspatterns of vibrations and audio output upon the touch input on thetouch screen.

The memory 160 may be implemented using any type of suitable storagemedium including a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimediacard micro type, a memory card type (e.g., SD or DX memory), RandomAccess Memory (RAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Read-OnlyMemory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-only Memory(EEPROM), Programmable Read-only Memory (PROM), magnetic memory,magnetic disk, optical disk, and the like. Also, the mobile terminal 100may operate a web storage which performs the storage function of thememory 160 on the Internet.

The interface device 170 may generally be implemented to interface themobile terminal 100 with external devices. The interface device 170 mayallow a data reception from an external device, a power delivery to eachcomponent in the portable terminal 100, or a data transmission from theportable terminal 100 to an external device. The interface device 170may include, for example, wired/wireless headset ports, external chargerports, wired/wireless data ports, memory card ports, ports for couplingdevices having an identification module, audio Input/Output (I/O) ports,video I/O ports, earphone ports, and the like.

The identification module may be configured as a chip for storingvarious information required to authenticate an authority to use themobile terminal 100, which may include a User Identity Module (UIM), aSubscriber Identity Module (SIM), and the like. Also, the device havingthe identification module (hereinafter, referred to as ‘identificationdevice’) may be implemented in a type of smart card. Hence, theidentification device can be coupled to the mobile terminal 100 via aport.

Also, the interface device 170 may serve as a path for power to besupplied from an external cradle to the mobile terminal 100 when themobile terminal 100 is connected to the external cradle or as a path fortransferring various command signals inputted from the cradle by a userto the mobile terminal 100. Such various command signals or powerinputted from the cradle may operate as signals for recognizing that themobile terminal 100 has accurately been mounted to the cradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operations of themobile terminal 100. For example, the controller 180 performs thecontrol and processing associated with telephony calls, datacommunications, video calls, and the like. The controller 180 mayinclude a multimedia module 181 which provides multimedia playback. Themultimedia module 181 may be configured as part of the controller 180 oras a separate component. Moreover, the controller 180 can perform apattern recognition processing so as to recognize writing or drawinginput on the touch screen as text or image.

The power supply device 190 provides power required by variouscomponents under the control of the controller 180. The provided powerdevice may be internal power, external power, or combination thereof.

Various embodiments described herein may be implemented in acomputer-readable medium using, for example, software, hardware, or somecombination thereof.

For a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may beimplemented within one or more of Application Specific IntegratedCircuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital SignalProcessing Devices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers,micro-controllers, micro processors, other electronic devices designedto perform the functions described herein, or a selective combinationthereof. In some cases, such embodiments are implemented by thecontroller 180.

For software implementation, the embodiments such as procedures andfunctions may be implemented together with separate software moduleseach of which performs at least one of functions and operations. Thesoftware codes can be implemented with a software application written inany suitable programming language. Also, the software codes may bestored in the memory 160 and executed by the controller 180.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views showing an appearance of a mobileterminal. FIG. 2A shows a front surface and one side surface of themobile terminal, and FIG. 2B shows a rear surface and another sidesurface of the mobile terminal.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the mobile terminal 100 disclosed herein isprovided with a bar-type terminal body. However, the present applicationis not limited to this type of terminal, but is also applicable tovarious structures of terminals such as slide type, folder type, swiveltype, swing type, and the like, in which two or more bodies are combinedwith each other in a relatively movable manner.

The body may include a case (casing, housing, cover, etc.) defining anouter appearance. In this exemplary embodiment, the case may be dividedinto a front case 101 and a rear case 102. Various electronic componentsmay be mounted in a space between the front case 101 and the rear case102. At least one intermediate case may further be interposed betweenthe front case 101 and the rear case 102. Such cases may be injectedusing a synthetic resin or be formed of a metal, such as stainless steel(STS), titanium (Ti) or the like.

The terminal body may include a display 151, an audio output module 152,a camera 121, a user input device 130, a microphone 122, an interfacedevice 170, and the like. The display 151 may occupy most of a mainsurface of the front case 101. The audio output module 152 and thecamera 121 may be disposed near one of both end portions of the display151, and the user input device 131 and the microphone 122 on the otherend portion of the display 151. The user input device 132, the interfacedevice 170, and the like, may be disposed on side surfaces of the frontand rear cases 101 and 102.

The user input device 130 may be manipulated to allow inputting ofcommands for controlling operations of the mobile terminal 100, andinclude a plurality of manipulation devices 131, 132. The first andsecond manipulation devices 131, 132 may be referred to as amanipulating portion. Such manipulating portion can employ any tactilemanner that a user can touch or tap for manipulation.

The first and second manipulation devices 131, 132 may be set to allowinputting of various contents. For example, the first manipulationdevice 131 may be configured to input commands such as START, END,SCROLL or the like, and the second manipulation device 132 may beconfigured to input commands, such as a volume adjustment of soundsoutput from the audio output module 152, conversion of the display 151into a touch recognition mode, or the like.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a rear face of the terminal body, namely, the rearcase 102 may further be provided with a camera 121′. The camera 121′faces a direction which is opposite to a direction faced by the camera121 (see FIG. 2A), and may have different pixels from those of thecamera 121.

For example, the camera 121 may operate with relatively lower pixels(lower resolution). Thus, the camera 121 may be useful when a user cancapture his face and send it to another party during a video call or thelike. On the other hand, the camera 121′ may operate with a relativelyhigher pixels (higher resolution) such that it can be useful for a userto obtain higher quality pictures for later use.

The cameras 121 and 121′ may be installed in the terminal body to berotatable or popped up. A flash 123 and a mirror 124 may additionally bedisposed adjacent to the camera 121′. The flash 123 operates inconjunction with the camera 121′ when taking a picture using the camera121′. The mirror 124 can cooperate with the camera 121′ to allow a userto photograph himself in a self-portrait mode.

An audio output module 152′ may further be disposed at a rear face ofthe terminal body. The audio output module 152′ can cooperate with theaudio output module 152 (see FIG. 2A) to provide stereo output. Also,the audio output module 152′ may be configured to operate as aspeakerphone.

A broadcast signal receiving antenna 116 may further be disposed at oneside of the terminal body in addition to an antenna for communications,for example. The antenna 116 configuring a part of the broadcastreceiving module 111 (see FIG. 1) may be retractable into the terminalbody.

A power supply device 190 for supplying power to the mobile terminal 100may be mounted in the terminal body. The power supply device 190 may bemounted in the terminal body or detachably coupled directly onto theoutside of the terminal body.

The rear case 102 may be further provided with a touchpad 135 fordetecting a touch input. Similar to the display 151, the touchpad 135may be implemented as a light-transmissive type. Also, the touchpad 135may be further provided with a rear display device for outputting visualinformation. Here, information output on the front display 151 and therear display device may be controlled by the touchpad 135.

The touchpad 135 may operate cooperative with the display 151. Thetouchpad 135 may be disposed at a rear side of the display 151 inparallel to the display 151. The touchpad 135 may have a size the sameas or smaller than that of the display 151.

Hereinafter, description will be given in detail of a mobile terminalwhich plays (reproduces) contents on a user desired device according tothe user condition according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 3A to 3D are diagrams illustrating an environment where aplurality of devices are disposed. The location 10 may be any space,such as, for example, a room at the home, office, or the like. As shownin FIGS. 3A to 3D, a mobile terminal 100, a server 200S and a pluralityof devices 200A to 200C may be positioned in the location 10.

The mobile terminal 100 may discover contents stored therein or contentsexisting in the server 200S, and the corresponding contents may beplayed by the mobile terminal 100 or the plurality of devices 200A to200C. Examples of the mobile terminal 100 may include cellular phone,Internet tablet, Wi-Fi supported digital camera, Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA), and the like.

The server 200S may store contents, and provide such contents to theplurality of devices 200A to 200C connected to a network. The server200S may also protect the stored contents. Examples of the server 200Smay include Personal Computer (PC), Network Attached Storage (NAS), andthe like.

The plurality of devices 200A to 200C may play the contents receivedfrom the mobile terminal 100. Examples of the plurality of devices 200Ato 200C may include TV, A/V receiver, video display, remote speaker formusic, and the like. It should be appreciated that any one device may bedesignated as a server device or client device.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the mobile terminal 100 may play contents selectedby a user. If the user desires to play contents which are being playedby the mobile terminal 100 on one of the plurality of devices 200A to200C, the user may select one of the plurality of devices 200A to 200Cas a target device.

To this end, the mobile terminal 100 may provide a user interface forselection of the target device. However, the selecting of the targetdevice by the provided user interface may be cumbersome or become aburden to the user. In general, the user may wish to play contentsthrough a device located at a position where the user can most easilyview the contents from his current position. Hence, if the mobileterminal 100 is aware of a user's position and orientation, it can, forexample, be configured to select a device which is located the closestand provides the best viewing angle.

Referring to FIG. 3B, when the mobile terminal is moved from a positionas illustrated in FIG. 3A to a position in FIG. 3B as the user moves,the device 200A may correspond to a device which is located at theclosest position to the mobile terminal 100. Hence, the mobile terminal100 may select the device 200A from the plurality of devices 200A to200C as a target device, and transmit a signal to the device 200A forcontrolling the device 200A to continuously play the contents which arebeing played in the mobile terminal 100. Here, the mobile terminal 100may stop the reproduction of the contents. Also, the mobile terminal 100may output an indicator indicating that the device 200A is reproducingthe contents. For example, the mobile terminal 100 may output anindicator, such as vibration, in a tactile manner such that the user canknow that the contents, which are being played by the mobile terminal100 or another device, are reproduced by the device 200A even withoutviewing a display of the mobile terminal 100.

In certain situations, the mobile terminal 100 may not designate adevice for viewing content even if the mobile terminal 100 is moved fromthe position as illustrated in FIG. 3A to the position as illustrated inFIG. 3B. For example, in situations where the user does not want tocontinuously play the contents using the device 200A, such as whenreceiving a call at the mobile terminal 100, the mobile terminal 100 maynot transmit the signal to the device 200A for controlling the device200A to continuously play the contents which are being played by themobile terminal 100.

Referring to FIG. 3C, when the mobile terminal 100 is moved from theposition of FIG. 3B to a position of FIG. 3C as the user continues tomove, a device 200B and a device 200C may correspond to devices whichare located the closest to the mobile terminal 100. However, when theuser is facing device 200B, the user may desire to continuously play thecontents on device 200B rather than on device 200C. Therefore, themobile terminal 100 may select the device 200B as a target device fromthe plurality of devices 200A to 200C based on the sensed position andorientation, and transmit a signal to the device 200B for controllingthe device 200B to continuously play the contents which are being playedby the device 200A. Here, the mobile terminal 100 may also control thedevice 200A to stop the reproduction of the contents.

Referring to FIG. 3D, when the mobile terminal 100 is shifted from anorientation of FIG. 3C to an orientation of FIG. 3D as the user turns toface another direction, the device 200B and the device 200C stillcorrespond to the devices which are the closest to the mobile terminal100. However, since the user now faces the device 200C, the user maydesire to continuously play the contents using device 200C rather thandevice 200B. Therefore, the mobile terminal 100 may select device 200Cas a target device from the plurality of devices 200A to 200C, andtransmit a signal to the device 200C for controlling the device 200C tocontinuously play the contents which are being played by the device200B. Here, the mobile terminal 100 may also control the device 200B tostop the reproduction of the contents.

As such, the mobile terminal 100 may determine a position and anorientation of the user, automatically select a device, and provide anenvironment for allowing contents to be viewed through the selecteddevice. It should be appreciated that, while a device which is closestto the user may be selected as the target device as described above,other variables or conditions may also be used to determine the devicemost suitable for the user based on the determined position andorientation. For example, the type of device, the type of content, userpreference for certain devices, or the like, may also be used todetermine the target device in addition to the mobile terminalposition/orientation.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating another environment where aplurality of devices are disposed. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, a mobileterminal 100A may transmit to a device 200A, which is located theclosest thereto, a signal for controlling the device 200A tocontinuously play contents, which are being played by the mobileterminal 100A. Here, another user 100B may also view the contents, whichare being played by the device 200A, under control of the mobileterminal 100A. For example, the mobile terminal 100A may sense thesecond user 100B either through a camera which is located near thedevice 200A, or through communication between a mobile terminalbelonging to the second user 100B and the device 200A.

As illustrated in FIG. 4B, under such condition, when the mobileterminal 100A is moved from a position of FIG. 4A to a position of FIG.4B as the user moves, a device 200B may now correspond to a device whichis the closest to the mobile terminal 100A. The mobile terminal 100A maythen select the device 200B among available devices 200A and 200B as atarget device, and transmit a signal to the device 200B for controllingthe device 200B to continuously play the contents which are being playedby the device 200A. Here, since the second user 100B is still viewingthe contents which are being played by the device 200A, the mobileterminal 100A may transmit a signal to the device 200A to continuereproducing the contents as device 200A.

Consequently, the mobile terminal 100A may determine existence ofanother user who is viewing contents which are being played by a targetdevice, as well as its user's position and orientation, therebyproviding an environment for allowing its user to view the contents viaa device, which is the closest to the user and comes into the user'sview, without interrupting the another user who is also viewing thecontents.

FIG. 5 is a view of a user interface provided in the mobile terminal inaccordance with one exemplary embodiment. Referring again to FIG. 3B,when the mobile terminal 100 is moved from the position of FIG. 3A tothe position 3B as the user moves, the mobile terminal 100 may selectthe device 200A as a target device among the plurality of devices 200Ato 200C. The mobile terminal 100, as shown in FIG. 5, may display on ascreen 1110 (screen image) of the display 151 a menu 1112 for selectingwhether to continue to play the contents which are being played by themobile terminal 100 at the device 200A.

When a button (for example, ‘OK’) for continuous reproduction of thecontents which are being played by the mobile terminal 100 is selectedfrom the menu 1112, the mobile terminal 100 may transmit a signal to thedevice 200A for controlling the device 200A to continuously play thecontents which are being played by the mobile terminal 100. On thecontrary, when a button (for example, ‘Cancel’) for not continuouslyreproducing the contents which are being played by the mobile terminal100 is selected from the menu 1112, the mobile terminal may not transmita signal to the device 200A for controlling the device 200A tocontinuously play the contents which are being played by the mobileterminal 100. Once the device 200A begins to playback the content, a GUImay be displayed on the mobile terminal 100 to control the playback ofthe content on the device 200A.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram that illustrates a process in which the mobileterminal acquires its own position information and orientationinformation. A position acquisition system 300 may track a position ofthe mobile terminal 100 and the user inside a room such as a home usinga Wi-Fi signal and an embedded motion sensor. Especially, a Wi-Fifingerprint technology using Received Signal Strength (RSS) and RSSpattern may be used for indoor positioning, but accuracy may be limitedin small rooms such as those in homes. Therefore, use of various motionsensors, such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, an orientationsensor and the like, which may be embedded in the mobile terminal 100,may be used to improve the accuracy of the Wi-Fi fingerprint-basedpositioning.

A position detector 310 may acquire a distance and orientation relatedto movement of the mobile terminal 100 (e.g., user) from a motionestimator 320 (for example, the sensing device 140). The motionestimator 320 may include an orientation sensor for detecting the user'sorientation. Also, the motion estimator 320 may include an accelerationsensor or a gyro sensor for detecting the distance traveled.

The position detector 310 may divide user states into, for example,stationary (standing), walking and running states using the accelerationsensor or gyro sensor. Also, when the user is in the walking or runningstate, the position detector 310 may estimate a moving distance(D_(Walking), D_(Running)) and an orientation (x, y) by multiplying amaintained time or duration (T_(walking), T_(Running)) of each state bya user's average speed (V_(walking), V_(Running)). The user's averagespeed may be learned based on data acquired from daily life andreflected using a probability function. For example, the average speedmay be based on measured velocity of the mobile terminal 100 for aprescribed period of time, or a default average speed may be used.

When the user is in the walking or running state, the motion estimator320 may estimate the user's distance moved and compute an orientation.The motion estimator 320 may then transfer the user's distance moved andorientation to the position detector 310. Also, a Wi-Fi scanner 330 (forexample, an access point) may measure an RSS and transfer the measuredRSS to the position detector 310. The position detector 310 may thenestimate a user's position corresponding to the RSS transferred from theWi-Fi scanner 330 using the RSS pattern stored in a database 340 (forexample, the memory 160) and an internal algorithm.

When the user is in the stationary state, the position detector 310 maymap the user's position onto a position with the highest probability,based on the user's moving distance and orientation obtained by themotion estimator 320 and the user's position estimated based on the RSS.The mapped user's position may be provided to the user via a userinterface 350 (for example, the output device 150). Moreover, the userinterface 350 may be used to adjust the position of the user. Forexample, the position detector 310 may receive a modification feedbackfrom the user through the user interface 350 (for example, the userinput device 130).

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a process for performing Wi-Fifingerprint in a mobile terminal. In a first phase 410 (e.g., a trainingmode), a measurement device 412 (for example, the position detector 310)may measure RSS from a plurality of access points 414. For example, themeasurement device 412 may measure the RSS of the mobile terminal 100located at a specific position (x_(i), y_(i)) in the home. The measuredRSS may be stored in a database 416.

In a second phase 420 (e.g., a matching mode), the measurement device412 may determine a point 426 having an RSS pattern which is the mostsimilar to the currently measured RSS pattern as the user's position.The user's position 426 may be determined based on the currentlymeasured RSS pattern 422 of the mobile terminal 100, the database 416generated in the first phase and an internal algorithm 424.

Besides, the mobile terminal may further recognize its own positionusing a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag installed at a plurality ofpositions of the specific location 10 or 20. Also, the position of themobile terminal 100 may also be recognized using an optical sensor or amotion sensor of household electronics. For example, position andorientation may be determined using an image display device or a voicerecognition module such as an oriented microphone of householdelectronics such as a robot cleaner.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process of controlling contents reproductionin a mobile terminal in accordance with a one exemplary embodiment. Acontroller 180 may acquire at least one of position and orientation of amobile terminal 100, in step S110. The controller 180 may select one ofa plurality of external devices, which are able to play contents atdifferent locations, based on the acquired position and/or orientation,in step S120. The controller 180 may thus transmit a signal to theselected external device for controlling the selected external device toplay the contents, in step S130.

In one embodiment, a mobile terminal may be configured to identify auser's intension (e.g., a user's predicted movement) by recognizing theuser's condition and allows a user-desired device to be controlledaccording to the user's intension. FIG. 9 is a diagram of an environmentin which a plurality of devices are disposed. A specific location 30 ofthe environment may be any of one or more rooms at the home, office, orthe like. As shown in FIG. 9, the specific location 30 may include amobile terminal 100, and a plurality of devices 500A and 500B.

The mobile terminal 100 may transmit an input (e.g., a user input) forcontrolling one of the plurality of devices 500A and 500B to thecorresponding device. To this end, the mobile terminal 100 may usevarious types of communication methods, such as Bluetooth, RadioFrequency (RF) communication, InfraRed (IR) communication, UltraWideband (UWB), ZigBee, Wi-Fi, and the like. Also, the mobile terminal100 may receive an image, voice, a data signal, or the like, output fromone of the plurality of devices 500A and 500B. Such image, voice or datasignal may be displayed on the mobile terminal 100 or output in form ofvoice or vibration.

Upon reception of the user input from the mobile terminal 100, theplurality of devices 500A and 500B may perform operations correspondingto the received user input. Examples of the plurality of devices 500Aand 500B may include TV, a setup box, a refrigerator, a washing machine,and the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, when a user wants to control one of theplurality of devices 500A and 500B using the mobile terminal 100, one ofthe plurality of devices 500A and 500B should be selected as a targetdevice. The mobile terminal 100 may provide a Graphic User Interface(GUI) for control of the selected device.

The mobile terminal 100 may provide a user interface for selecting atarget device. However, the device selection via the user interfaceprovided may be cumbersome or become a burden to the user. In general,since a user wants to control a device which is located at a positionfor easiest viewing from the current position, when the mobile terminalis informed of the user's position and orientation it may select adevice which is the closest and within the user's view.

Referring to FIG. 9, a first device 500A and a second device 500B may becontrolled in operation by a user input applied to the mobile terminal100. A GUI for controlling the first and second device 500A, 500B may beprovided on the mobile terminal 100. The GUI may be customized for eachparticular device or a generic GUI may be provided to control thedevices.

When the mobile terminal 100 is positioned at location L1 (e.g., locatedcloser to the first device 500A) or is oriented to have a prescribedorientation O2 (e.g., facing the first device 100A), the mobile terminal100 may infer that the user intends to control the first device 500Arather than the second device 500B. Hence, the mobile terminal 100 mayselect the first device 500A as a target device based on the position L1or orientation O2. Accordingly, the mobile terminal 100 may establish aconnection to the first device 500A selected as the target device. Whena user input for remote control is received, the mobile terminal 100 maytransmit the received user input to the first device 500A.

Moreover, when the mobile terminal 100 is positioned at location L2(e.g., located closer to the second device 500B) or is oriented to havea prescribed orientation O1 (e.g., facing the second device 500B), themobile terminal 100 may infer that the user intends to control thesecond device 500B rather than the first device 500A. Hence, the mobileterminal 100 may select the second device 500B as a target device basedon the position L2 or orientation O2. Accordingly, the mobile terminal100 may establish a connection to the second device 500B selected as thetarget device. When a user input for remote control is received, themobile terminal 100 may transmit the received user input to the seconddevice 500B.

Moreover, It should be appreciated that, while a device may be selectedbased on proximity and/or orientation of the mobile terminal 100 asdescribed above, other variables or conditions may also be used todetermine the device most suitable for the user based on the determinedposition and orientation. For example, the type of device, the type ofcontent, user preference for certain devices, or the like, may also beused to determine the target device.

The mobile terminal 100 may determine its own position and orientationby using the motion estimation technology based on the motion sensor andthe position recognition technology based on the RSS and the RSSpattern, as previously described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.Accordingly, the mobile terminal 100 may automatically select a deviceby determining the user's position and orientation, and provide anenvironment allowing for remote control of the selected device.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are views of a user interface provided in the mobileterminal in accordance with the one exemplary embodiment. In order to beaware of the relative position and orientation between the mobileterminal 100 and external devices, not only the position of the mobileterminal 100 but also positions of the respective external devicesshould be acquired. Hence, the mobile terminal 100 may provide aninterface for inputting the positions of the respective externaldevices, such that the user can set the position of each external devicein an easy and convenient manner.

Referring to FIG. 10A, the mobile terminal 100 may provide a userinterface 1212 for allowing a position of each external device to be seton a screen image 1210 of the display 151. When the user positions themobile terminal 100 near a particular device, selects the correspondingdevice, and presses a button (e.g., ‘OK’) for setting a position, theposition of the corresponding device may be set as a current position ofthe mobile terminal 100.

Referring to FIG. 10B, the mobile terminal 100 may provide userinterfaces 1222 and 1224 for setting a position of each external deviceon a screen image 1220 via the display 151. The user may position adevice icon, which is displayed on a device select region 1222, into amap display region 1224, for example, by a drag & drop input.Accordingly, a position of the selected device may be set to a positiondisplayed on a device map displayed in the map display region 1224.

Upon setting the position of each device, a device map indicating theposition of each device at a specific locations (e.g., home, office,etc.) may be generated. The mobile terminal 100 may map its position andorientation onto the device map so as to select a target device.

FIGS. 11 to 14 are diagrams of a user interface provided in a mobileterminal in accordance with one exemplary embodiment. FIG. 11 is a viewof a user interface for manually selecting a target device in a mobileterminal. Referring again to FIG. 9, the mobile terminal 100 may belocated at a position midway between the first device 500A and thesecond device 500B, or the first and second devices 500A and 500B may belocated close to each other and accordingly there may exist many deviceswhich are controllable at the current position and in the currentorientation.

In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the mobile terminal 100 maydisplay a menu 1312 on a screen image 1310 for selecting a device thatthe user wants to control. The menu 1312 may be used to select a deviceamong a plurality of devices which are controllable at the currentposition and in the current orientation. This method is much moreintuitive from the user's perspective than the related art userinterface for selecting a device to be controlled among availabledevices.

FIG. 12 is diagram illustrating a user interface for selecting a targetdevice from among a plurality of devices according to an embodiment. Theplurality of devices may have a different GUI for display in the mobileterminal 100 for remotely controlling the device.

A GUI GUI1 provided by the mobile terminal 100 for remote control of thefirst device 500A may be different from a GUI GUI2 provided by themobile terminal 100 for remote control of the second device 500B whichis positioned in close proximity to the first device 500A. When thefirst device 500A is selected as a target device based on the positionand orientation of the mobile terminal 100, the mobile terminal 100 mayprovide the GUI GUI1 corresponding to the first device 500A. The mobileterminal 100 may also load the GUI GUI2, which corresponds to the seconddevice 500B positioned close to the first device 500A, from the memory160 to a cache memory installed in the controller 180.

Thereafter, when the second device 500B is selected as the targetdevice, the mobile terminal 100 may immediately convert the GUI GUI1into the GUI GUI2 corresponding to the second device 500B loaded in thecache memory and display the GUI GUI2. Hence, the mobile terminal 100can provide a flexible user interface environment.

FIG. 13 is a view of a user interface for selecting a plurality ofdevices as a target device from a mobile terminal. Referring back toFIG. 9, when the first device 500A and the second device 500B are thesame type of device having the same remote interface, the user maydesire to remotely control the first and second devices 500A and 500B atthe same time.

Referring to FIG. 13, the mobile terminal 100 may display an interfacefor selecting a plurality of devices as target devices on a screen image1330. In a state in which a menu item (e.g., ‘select’) for selecting aplurality of devices as target devices has been selected, the user maymake a gesture of sequentially pointing the mobile terminal 100 toward aplurality of devices to select as target devices. While the user makesthe gesture, the mobile terminal 100 may determine its orientation so asto select the plurality of devices pointed by the user as the targetdevices. Therefore, the user may have an advantage of simultaneouslycontrolling a plurality of target devices by one control command.

FIG. 14 is view of a user interface for selecting a desired device as atarget device in a mobile terminal. Referring back to FIG. 9, a GUI GUI1provided by the mobile terminal 100 for remote control of the firstdevice 500A may be different from a GUI GUI2 provided by the mobileterminal 100 for remote control of the second device 500B located inclose proximity to the first device 500A. Here, the user may desire tocontrol the second device 500B positioned at location L1 or at anorientation O2, or control the first device 500A positioned at locationL2 or at an orientation O1.

Referring to FIG. 14, the mobile terminal 100 may provide a touchinterface for allowing a user to select a desired device as a targetdevice even without moving the mobile terminal 100. With a GUI 1342 thatcorrespond to the first device 500A being displayed on a screen image1340 of the mobile terminal 100, when a touch input (drag, flipping,etc.) for selecting the second device 500B as a target device isapplied, the second device 500B may be selected as the target device anda GUI 1344 for controlling the second device 500B may be displayed onthe screen image 1340.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a process of controlling an external device ina mobile terminal in accordance with one embodiment. First, thecontroller 180 may acquire at least one of a position or orientation ofthe mobile terminal 100, in step S210. The controller 180 may select atleast one of a plurality of external devices which can receive a remotecontrol signal from the mobile terminal at different positions, based onthe acquired at least one of position and orientation, in step S220.Also, the controller 180 may transmit the remote control signal to theselected at least one external device, in step S230.

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, a mobile terminal canprovide an environment that a user can continuously view contentsthrough a plurality of devices located at different positions withmoving or converting an orientation within a home environment. Thecontinuous playing of the contents through the plurality of devices isautomatically carried out, which may have an advantage of rarelyrequiring an overhead in selecting an external device by which the userwill play the contents.

Also, in accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a mobile terminalcan provide an environment for selectively carrying out a remote controlfor a plurality of devices using a single mobile terminal by a simpleoperation. Consequently, the process of selecting a device to beremotely controlled from the plurality of devices can be intuitivelycarried out, which results in easy and convenient manipulation.

In one embodiment, a method for controlling reproduction of contents ina mobile terminal may include acquiring at least one of position andorientation of the mobile terminal, selecting one of a plurality ofexternal devices based on the acquired at least one of the position andthe orientation, the plurality of external devices being capable ofreproducing contents at different positions, respectively, andtransmitting a signal to the selected one external device forcontrolling the selected one external device to reproduce the contents.

In one embodiment, a method for controlling an external device in amobile terminal may include acquiring at least one of position andorientation of the mobile terminal, selecting at least one of aplurality of external devices based on the acquired at least one of theposition and the orientation, the plurality of external devices beingcapable of receiving a remote control signal from the mobile terminal atdifferent positions, respectively, and transmitting the remote controlsignal to the selected at least one external device.

Further, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure,the method can be implemented as computer-readable codes in aprogram-recorded medium. The computer-readable medium may include alltypes of recording devices each storing data readable by a computersystem. Examples of such computer-readable media may include ROM, RAM,CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage element and thelike. Also, the computer-readable medium may also be implemented as aformat of carrier wave (e.g., transmission via an Internet). Thecomputer may include the controller 180 of the mobile terminal.

Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Theappearances of such phrases in various places in the specification arenot necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic is described inconnection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within thepurview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, orcharacteristic in connection with other ones of the embodiments.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling reproduction of contentin a mobile terminal comprising: controlling display of content on themobile terminal or on a first display device among a plurality ofdisplay devices; acquiring at least one of a position or an orientationof the mobile terminal; selecting a second display device among theplurality of display devices based on the acquired at least one of theposition or the orientation, the plurality of display devices beingpositioned at different locations relative to the mobile terminal andconfigured to display the content; establishing a connection to thesecond display device; and transmitting a signal to the selected seconddisplay device for controlling the second display device to display thecontent.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the seconddevice among the plurality of display devices includes selecting adisplay device that is positioned closest to the mobile terminal or adisplay device that is positioned corresponding to the orientation ofthe mobile terminal.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprisingcontrolling the mobile terminal or the first display device to stopdisplaying the content and controlling the second display device toresume the content based on the signal.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising controlling the mobile terminal or the first displaydevice to continue displaying the content in response to a message fromthe second display device indicating a presence of another mobileterminal or a user accessing the content on the second display device.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the signal to thesecond display device includes receiving an input for controlling theselected second display device to display the content, and transmittingthe signal for controlling the second display device to display thecontent according to the input.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein theacquiring at least one of the position or the orientation of the mobileterminal includes estimating a motion of the mobile terminal andanalyzing a Received Signal Strength (RSS) data measured by at least onewireless access point, while a change in position of the mobile terminalis detected; and acquiring an updated position of the mobile terminalbased on the estimated motion of the mobile terminal and the analyzedRSS data when the change in position of the mobile terminal is no longerdetected.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the acquiring at least oneof the position or orientation of the mobile terminal includes acquiringthe RSS data from the at least one wireless access point, and acquiringposition information corresponding to RSS data having the most similarpattern to the pattern of the acquired RSS data from a database.
 8. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the acquiring at least one of the position ororientation of the mobile terminal includes determining a type ofmovement based on the detected change in position of the mobileterminal, the type of movement including standing, walking or running,and estimating a position or orientation of the mobile terminal based ona duration of movement and a prescribed speed associated with thedetermined type of movement.
 9. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising outputting an indicator that indicates that the seconddisplay device is displaying the content.
 10. The method of claim 1,further comprising displaying a Graphic User Interface (GUI) on themobile terminal to control playback of the content on the second displaydevice.
 11. A method for controlling an external device in a mobileterminal comprising: acquiring at least one of a position or anorientation of the mobile terminal; selecting at least one of aplurality of external devices based on the acquired at least one of theposition or the orientation, the plurality of external devices beingpositioned at different locations and configured to receive a remotecontrol signal from the mobile terminal; establishing a connection tothe selected external device; and transmitting the remote control signalto the selected at least one external device.
 12. The method of claim11, further comprising displaying a Graphic User Interface (GUI) on themobile terminal for controlling the selected at least one externaldevice.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the mobile terminal includesa plurality of GUIs that correspond to one or more of the plurality ofexternal devices for providing a remote control interface at the mobileterminal.
 14. The method of claim 12, further comprising loading asecond GUI corresponding to at least one second external device locatednear the selected at least one external device.
 15. The method of claim14, further including receiving an input to change the selected externaldevice to the second external device, and changing the selected externaldevice to the second external device and displaying the second GUI thatcorresponds to the changed external device.
 16. The method of claim 11,wherein the transmitting the remote control signal to the selected atleast one external device includes receiving an input for designating anexternal device among a plurality of selected external devices, andtransmitting the remote control signal to the designated externaldevice.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the selecting at least oneof the plurality of external devices includes selecting two or moreexternal devices from the plurality of external devices based on atleast one of a plurality of positions or orientations acquired in asequential manner when the at least one of the plurality of positions ororientations of the mobile terminal is acquired in the sequentialmanner.
 18. The method of claim 11, further including receiving an inputfor setting a position of each of the plurality of external devices. 19.The method of claim 11, further including outputting an indicator thatindicates that the selected at least one external device is undercontrol of the mobile terminal.
 20. A mobile terminal comprising: adisplay; a sensor to sense a position and orientation of the mobileterminal; a controller configured to acquire at least one of a positionor orientation of the mobile terminal relative to a plurality ofexternal devices, and select at least one of the plurality of externaldevices based on the acquired at least one of the position or theorientation, the plurality of external devices being positioned atdifferent locations and configured to receive a control signal from themobile terminal; and a communication device configured to transmit thecontrol signal to the selected at least one external device, wherein thecontrol signal controls the selected external device to playback contenttransferred from another device or remotely controls a prescribedfunction of the selected external device.